Favorite Haydn Symphonies

[Gurn Blanston]

Stockhausen might be totally wacky, but he definitely keeps things interesting. The only problem is that I don't actually musically enjoy most of his works. I like the ideas more than I like the result.

And I agree with the Mendelssohn comment about his best works being in his youth. ChamberNut, I highly recommend the string symphonies -- especially the later ones (but the early ones are great, too). My favorite of his works, along with the wonderful octet.

Back to Haydn . I want to hear 6, 7, and 8 next. They were written when he first started his job with Esterhazy and are apparently based off of three paintings in the concert hall there which were of morning, noon, and evening.

I hadn't heard that. He told his biographer that it was based on a suggestion from the first Prince, Pavel. That would be an interesting twist on the story though.

When you listen to these, you should consider that they were composed in 1761. I don't know how familiar you are with music of that time, maybe more than I am, but anyway, in those terms, these works are spectacular.   

[André]

I chose 44, 49, 82 and 104. Of course I could have added another dozen, but these four have always counted among my favorites.

[Gurn Blanston]

I chose 44, 49, 82 and 104. Of course I could have added another dozen, but these four have always counted among my favorites.

Hard to beat! Spans time pretty well too. Another dozen (almost) would have been good too.

[André]

Well,, no surprise in the dozen next:

6, 7, 8, 22, 37, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 73, 74, 75, 76, 83, 85, 86, 90, 93, 95, 97, 98, 100, 103

Oups ! That's two dozen of 'em 

[Gurn Blanston]

Well,, no surprise in the dozen next:

6, 7, 8, 22, 37, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 73, 74, 75, 76, 83, 85, 86, 90, 93, 95, 97, 98, 100, 103

Oups ! That's two dozen of 'em 

  That's no surprise either!   

[Gurn Blanston]

Amazingly, not a single vote for #42 in D, an outstanding work by any measure...   Listen and then say I'm wrong.

[kishnevi]

Amazingly, not a single vote for #42 in D, an outstanding work by any measure...   Listen and then say I'm wrong.

The problem is that there are 105 other works in the poll which are equally outstanding.

Okay, perhaps that is a little exaggerated, but only a little (the reason I have not voted in this poll).

[Brahmsian]

Amazingly, not a single vote for #42 in D, an outstanding work by any measure...   Listen and then say I'm wrong.

Hmm, I will revisit # 42.  I had several favourites in D major, so you never know. 

[EigenUser]

I hadn't heard that. He told his biographer that it was based on a suggestion from the first Prince, Pavel. That would be an interesting twist on the story though.

It was in the film "In Search of Haydn". Perhaps I misunderstood what they were saying, but they showed three pictures from the concert hall there.

I can't believe 88 only got 1 (my) vote! I've heard about 15 or so. While I've enjoyed most of them (didn't care much for 6-8), 88 remains my favorite. 46, 95, 99 and 100 were awesome, too.

[Florestan]

I can't believe 88 only got 1 (my) vote!

It's my fault, I forgot to cast my vote.

[Brahmsian]

Judging by my notes throughout the months exploring the Dennis Russell Davies/Stuttgart set, if I had an outright # 1 favourite (today), it would be Symphony No. 63 in C major La Roxelane  That one seem to have an immense impact on me.

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, OK, I've been piddling around long enough. Here are my current 15:

12, 16, 31, 42, 44, 46, 49, 64, 68, 70, 83, 88, 92, 94, 100

I hope I hit on some which were underrepresented, some, like #68, are simply unknown, more's the pity. If some Romantic composer with 4 or 5 symphonies to his name had been good enough to write it, it would have been a national cult!   

[Jo498]

I picked 31, 44, 45, 46 (nothing against 42, 48, 49, but I HAD to choose), 70 (and old favorite since I heard it on a Rattle CD from the early '90ties or so) and then fairly boring "obvious choices": 82, 86, 88, 90, 92, 97, 99, 102, 103, 104. Except maybe 90 which deserved to be as famous as 88 and 92 or any of the London set...

Of course I would really miss the others from the Paris and London sets, also overlooked greats like 80, 89, 91, the early morning/noon/evening and many others. I guess I could live with a select 40 or so out of 105 without getting permanent depression...

[Sergeant Rock]

Well, OK, I've been piddling around long enough. Here are my current 15:

12, 16, 31, 42, 44, 46, 49, 64, 68, 70, 83, 88, 92, 94, 100

I thought this day would never come    There are some surprises there!

I hope I hit on some which were underrepresented, some, like #68, are simply unknown, more's the pity. If some Romantic composer with 4 or 5 symphonies to his name had been good enough to write it, it would have been a national cult!   

One of my first Haydn CDs was Harnoncourt's 100 and 68, a coupling I thought mighty strange at the time (I didn't know 68 at all and I thought 100 should have been logically coupled with another London). It was a revelation discovering how good the symphony was.

Sarge

[Gurn Blanston]

I picked 31, 44, 45, 46 (nothing against 42, 48, 49, but I HAD to choose), 70 (and old favorite since I heard it on a Rattle CD from the early '90ties or so) and then fairly boring "obvious choices": 82, 86, 88, 90, 92, 97, 99, 102, 103, 104. Except maybe 90 which deserved to be as famous as 88 and 92 or any of the London set...

Of course I would really miss the others from the Paris and London sets, also overlooked greats like 80, 89, 91, the early morning/noon/evening and many others. I guess I could live with a select 40 or so out of 105 without getting permanent depression...

I think this was the cruel point of the exercise; the OP is a sadistic bastard who wanted to tear away half of the good stuff, nay, 80% of the good stuff, let's be honest.

[Gurn Blanston]

I thought this day would never come    There are some surprises there!

  Me too. I hated the odds: choose 1 kill 6.5 others! 

One of my first Haydn CDs was Harnoncourt's 100 and 68, a coupling I thought mighty strange at the time (I didn't know 68 at all and I thought 100 should have been logically coupled with another London). It was a revelation discovering how good the symphony was.

Sarge

Yes, that's a good disk, and the first to bring 68 to MY attention too, since I had it as a loner pretty much. The 'first draft' of the 'Clock' Symphony is an interesting addition to that work, I thought.

[Brahmsian]

Well, OK, I've been piddling around long enough. Here are my current 15:

12, 16, 31, 42, 44, 46, 49, 64, 68, 70, 83, 88, 92, 94, 100

I hope I hit on some which were underrepresented, some, like #68, are simply unknown, more's the pity. If some Romantic composer with 4 or 5 symphonies to his name had been good enough to write it, it would have been a national cult!   

We share three mutual Favoruite 15 - The 31, 49 and 83. 

[Gurn Blanston]

We share three mutual Favoruite 15 - The 31, 49 and 83. 

You have impeccable taste, Ray. Though I'm surprised those 3 weren't unanimous choices anyway. 

[Jo498]

49 and 83 would probably make my top 20 (or if I had not wanted to include one earlier concertante piece, 31 would have been thrown out in favor of 83) Still among the "Paris" set, I think 86 and 82 are slightly better. I love the first two movements of 83 as much as anything, but the following are a little lighweight for me, compared to the greatest menuets and finali Haydn wrote around this time (e.g. in 82 and 86, 88 and 92)

[Gurn Blanston]

49 and 83 would probably make my top 20 (or if I had not wanted to include one earlier concertante piece, 31 would have been thrown out in favor of 83) Still among the "Paris" set, I think 86 and 82 are slightly better. I love the first two movements of 83 as much as anything, but the following are a little lighweight for me, compared to the greatest menuets and finali Haydn wrote around this time (e.g. in 82 and 86, 88 and 92)

I have a harder time making gradations in quality. There are two steps for me in Haydn's symphonies; excellent and superior. Plus, I can only rate them versus their near-contemporaries, so I could choose something like #12 and not have to compare it to #102 and make a choice then. I think of the symphonies of that time, #12 is the superior, the rest, merely excellent.